


Stuck on You

by ashes0909, salable_mystic



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Art, Avengers vs Homophobia, Captain America's Shield, Fluff, Getting Together, Jealous Tony Stark, M/M, Mixed Media, POV Multiple, POV Steve Rogers, POV Tony Stark, Press and Tabloids, Stickers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 18:41:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14699985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashes0909/pseuds/ashes0909, https://archiveofourown.org/users/salable_mystic/pseuds/salable_mystic
Summary: “Don’t worry, the shield is a beauty," Steve assured Tony. "I doubt we’ll be covering it with stickers for much longer. It won’t become a habit.”Of course, it eventually became much more than a simple habit.





	Stuck on You

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by the beautiful art of salable_mystic, which you can find [here](https://salablemystic.tumblr.com/post/174033612556/samy-arts-this-is-the-art-i-submitted-to-the) or below.  
> This was so fun for us to create together, and we really hope you enjoy it! A+++++ would collab again.

 

_Tony_

 

“Again! Again!” Katie squealed to Clint, who was sitting next to her on a too-small plastic chair, drawing another happy face on the sticker paper. “Make a tongue!” she suggested, and Clint followed her order with a smile.

“Where should we put it?” Nat asked from her spot standing behind Clint. She lifted an eyebrow at Tony from across the table, as if asking him the question along with the young pupil.

“I think Hawkeye’s uniform needs a happy face,” Tony replied to Katie, lowering his voice to make it sound like this was one grand plan, which it was.

“Yes!” Katie laughed, her viguous nod making her pigtails shake. Tony had liked her from the moment she threw up her hand and asked him if he’d brought any of his bots with him. She had been easily distracted by stickers, in light of there being no bots, but Tony found he didn’t mind too much because an elementary school student, plus his bots, could equal a very dicey situation.

“Peel off the sticker, Hawkeye!” Katie’s voice hit an octave so high he flipped on his Iron Man helmet as a barrier, which only set Katie squealing all the more.

“I’m almost done.” Hawkeye put the finishing touches on the tongue then peeled off the sticker and handed it, very carefully so that it wouldn’t bend, to Katie. She held it high up in the air, like it was a prize to show the world, then turned around and stuck it right smack in the center of Hawkeye’s chest.

Inside the helmet, Tony’s face hurt from how hard he was laughing, and even Natasha, who was pressing her lips together to keep her composure, had her shoulders shaking. Clint was fully dressed in his Hawkeye uniform, purple leather, thick but flexible armor, now new-and-improved by a happy face sticker right in the center of it all.

“I like the upgrade,” Clint declared. Katie squealed and started jumping up and down with the other children that were nearby.

There was a long list of Avenger’s related responsibilities that Tony disliked, but visiting school children was definitely not one of them. He was happy here; laughter came from every corner of the room, and not a single person was in danger.

“Hey! Psst,” Clint whispered conspiratorially to Katie as he picked up the scissors. “Look.”

Katie’s eyes widened, and she brought her hands to her mouth as Clint continued making his new sticker. “You aren’t supposed to do that.” Katie’s words were muffled by her palms.

Tony’s curiosity was immediately piqued. “What trouble are you getting up to?” He leaned over the table until he could see the scribbling Clint had made on one of the sticker papers, so now it read, "Kick Me," with a little happy face drawn on the side. Tony snorted. “Clever.”

Steve had wandered towards the large window that looked out into a pavilion, and Clint kept shooting glances towards him in between looking at the sticker he was peeling from the paper. Tony caught on quick, and Katie not long after, by the sound of her sucked in breath and shaking head. “Oh no. No, no. Ooooo, that’s so bad. No. Oh my god. Really? No.” She was rambling, obviously excited since she couldn’t keep the grin from her face even as she continued. “Really? Oh my god. No. No, no. Oh, wow. Really?”

Tony chuckled. “Hawkeye, I think you broke her.”

“Just a harmless prank. Plus, I owe him for the time he painted all my arrows red, white, and blue.”

“Really? Oh my god. No way.” Katie asked, eyes so wide her brows almost touched her hairline. Clint laughed and pulled lightly on one of her pigtails.

“Don’t go getting any ideas, rugrat. This pranking stuff should be done with adult supervision only.”

Tony hummed, smiling at the pair, while he remembered how easy it had been  
to grab Clint’s arrows from the common room with Steve and sneak them down to the workshop. They had laughed all the way down the stairs, shoulders knocking together while they considered how Clint would react when he saw his new arrows.

It took no time at all to modify them, and they hardly felt bad about it since they had decided to do it after Clint had spent four hours in the quinjet singing his new favorite Carly Rae Jepsen album. Loudly. His off-key pitch may have seriously influenced their decision to vandalize his property.

Tony chuckled at the memory. “I was definitely an accomplice in that,” Tony informed Clint but his attention was more focused on Katie, who was now bouncing and shooting Steve furtive glances.

Clint snorted. “Of _course_ you were.” Before Tony had time to ask Clint what he meant by that - because, sure, he and Steve joined up together for pranks often, but so had everyone else - Clint was pinning Tony with a stare. “Do you want a Kick Me sticker?”

“Not particularly, no.”

“Well then keep your mouth shut.” Clint lifted up the sticker, satisfaction written all over his face. He’d even added an arrow flourish with a line of speed in its wake underlining the words. “You ready kid?”

Katie was biting her lip with nerves, but she practically bounced with mischief, eyes dancing and grin forming on her face.

Steve was still by the window, and Clint leaned down to whisper something into Katie’s ear. Katie nodded very seriously as Clint slid the sticker into his pocket. When Clint pulled back they shared a quick high five and a smile, and then they walked towards Steve.

Tony stepped back and watched.

 

[ ](https://imgur.com/uPfl4ba)

  
_Steve_

 

“Beautiful out there, huh?”

Steve jumped at Clint’s approach. Even though the room wasn’t quiet at all, the shrieks and laughter from the kids always present, Hawkeye had found him deep in thought.

“It is. They have a good facility here for the kids. I’m glad. I’m glad we’re here to help out too.”

“Yeah.” Clint nodded, he looked distracted which made little sense, considering he was the one to approach Steve and start their conversation. His fist was in his pocket like he was holding onto something, the other hand came out and squeezed Steve’s shoulder turning him back to face the pavillion. “Thanks for organizing this event. The more things we can do like this, the better.”

Steve felt his face warm a bit, never one to like to be the center of attention, despite how often he found himself in it. “I didn’t do anything, not really. They contacted us and--”

“Well, still.” Clint waited until Steve met his eye and then held his arms out wide for a hug. Steve was a bit surprised by the sudden show of affection from his friend, but they’d all experienced so much together and hugs weren’t really unusual, even if this one seemed a bit abrupt.

Steve stepped forward and pounded his palms against Clint’s back, felt Clint do the same against his shield. When he stepped back he was grinning wide, and Steve felt like maybe he had missed a joke or something. “You do this leader thing well, Cap,” Clint said, before he walked over to a nearby table, already halfway into a conversation with Samuel about Pterodactyls.

Charity brought out the oddest emotions in people.

Steve began walking around the room, and it was hard to ignore Clint and Katie whispering in the corner. He could easily pick up their conversation but hearing “no-you” and “no-you” back and forth wasn’t very enlightening, even if he could hear it.

Tony was on the other side of the room, so Steve headed in his direction. He had a group of kids around him, each of them trying on his helmet. There was a flush on Tony’s cheeks. Steve thought that maybe it was just the reflection of the Iron Man armour against his skin, but after a moment it was clear to see it was because he’d been laughing so hard, flushed from the joy of it.

With each new kid taking the helmet, Tony cheered and took photos with his StarkPhone, and Steve watched. It was rare to see Tony look so carefree outside of the Tower, with people that weren’t his closest friends. But children had a certain charm. A five-year-old pulled on Tony’s gauntlet, and Steve watched as he let it slide off his arm. That started a spree of kids wanting pieces of the suit and before long his boots and arm pieces were gone.

“Looking a little sparse there.” Steve closed the space between them. He looked ridiculous in just the chestplate and thigh pieces of the suit.

“I’m trying out new upgrades. The kids are helping, right guys?”

A series of screeched cheers erupted as all the children agreed. “I like this new R&D team you’re working with.”

“What’s R&D?” one of the boys, Richie, asked.

“Research and Development,” Steve explained.

“Good job, Cap.” Tony patted his shoulder. “Not long ago, you were asking that question.”

Steve felt his cheeks blush at Tony’s teasing. A tug at his gloved hand tore his attention from the way Tony’s eyes were dancing. “Did you not know what it was because you're old?”

“I’m not--” Steve didn’t really know how to explain his situation to this child so he changed gears and nodded. “Yup. We didn’t use so many acronyms in the 1940s.”

Tony started snickering beside him. “Isn’t SHIELD from the 40s?”

“What’s an acronym?” The boy asked, his thick eyebrows shooting to his hairline as he bent his neck to look up at Tony and Steve.

A push from behind-- No. A kick, and suddenly all that was around him were Tony’s deceptively strong and sturdy arms. His face was pressed into Tony’s neck, and he smelled so good, like soap and that solution he was using earlier to explain liquid density to the children by making a rainbow in a jar. As soon as Steve realized he was smelling Tony, he tried to pull back but the other man’s arms clenched him tighter, as if Tony was worried that they wouldn’t be able to stay on their feet after their sudden collision.

For just a second, Steve let himself lean into it, and their limbs slotting together like perfect puzzle pieces. And that was around when Katie’s squealing laughter erupted from her little body. The teacher was across the room in an instant. “Katherine Delonte! We do not kick our guests. We do not kick anyone.”

“But he asked me to.”

Steve’s turned to face the girl, ready to tell her that he had said no such thing but as soon as his shield was facing Tony, he heard laughing from behind him.

“It was bound to happen sometime with pranksters running amok.” Tony shook his head and started looking for something, or someone, like he knew more than he was giving on.

“What is it? What's going on?”

Instead of answering, Tony took out his phone and snapped a picture. When he handed it over to Steve, it was easy to see why the rambunctious kid had taken her shot at Captain America’s shield. If he hadn't been so distracted, he would’ve stayed on his feet. But even still, it was a bit embarrassing that a six year old managed to make him stagger.

“See!” Katie was bouncing, her pigtails going up and down with the motion. “It says it.”

The sticker on his shield read “Kick Me,” and, really, she had a strong argument. Her teacher seemed to disagree. “No! Still, go sit on the time out bench for five minutes.”

Katie’s demeanor immediately shifted, her eyes watering and her fists clenching. “But the superhero told me to!”

The teacher took a deep breath and looked back up at Steve, head shaking.

“I think we can let this one slide,” Tony cut in. “She kicked the shield, not the good Captain.”

Shaking her head the teacher looked at Katie with a very stern face before making her promise she would not kick anything again, any person or thing. Then she left to attend to two kids arguing in the corner.

Tony gestured towards the retreating woman. “America’s heroes, right there.”

Steve nodded. “I couldn’t agree more.” He shared a glance with Tony, a quick one, but, for Steve, it brought back memories of being in the other man’s arms, of how he smelled and felt, and it looked like something flashed in Tony’s eyes, that maybe he was thinking the same - but it was all broken by Clint’s familiar, from hours of training, kick against the shield.

He was ready for it this time, and managed to stay standing, but he was going to have to take that sticker off immediately.

  
~~~

_Tony_

 

By the time Steve noticed the next sticker, they were already in the thick of the battle. Tony had kept his eye on him, and he’d been using his fists for the close range targets, so it wasn’t until they were picking off the snipers that Steve had the ability to use his shield. He threw the shield, a man fell from a rooftop, the shield returned. Tony was so, very happy that he was the one on the team that wore a helmet, because if Cap wore one, Tony would have completely missed his expression.

Tony had known the sticker was there all along, but Steve learned it in that very moment.

Clint picked off the remaining two snipers while Steve stared at the starburst sticker that showed the words, "Avengers 4eva." It was like the sticker froze the man, and Tony was waiting, probably a bit too eagerly, considering they were in the middle of battle, for Steve to process the sight. Would it be anger? Laughter? Embarrassment?

What Tony hadn’t expected was for him to start a lecture about irresponsibility. In hindsight, that was probably a misstep on Tony’s part. But _he_ wasn’t the one that slipped the sticker on the vibranium. He knew who it was, but he wasn’t telling.

Thankfully, there were more enemies approaching, so they had a valid distraction and interruption as soon as Steve began his, “Who did this? Do you know--?”

They could always count on a grenade to bring a lecture to a halt.

They ducked for cover, then Steve threw his shield. It came back as sure as it always did, only today the sticker flew as a blur with it. As they moved through the small town, Steve put the shield back on the harness, but the sticker was upside down. Natasha saw it and nodded her head to it when Tony caught her eye, as if asking, “Are you going to tell him the wording is upside down?”

Tony opened his helmet just enough to give an, “Are you kidding me?” eyebrow lift, before closing it again.

As they advanced into the town, more and more of the population scattered from their path. They were still going on with their day-to-day lives here, completely oblivious to the evil in their midst, trying to bring their livelihoods burning to the ground.

“Sir!” The voice of a young boy rang down from a balcony. Tony ignored it, so did the other Avengers. “Superheroes, stop!”

Steve skidded to a halt first, because of course he would follow the earnest order of a small child. Thor, Clint, and Natasha went on ahead after a nod from Steve, but Tony stayed behind in case this was a more nefarious situation than it seemed.

“Do you need help, son?”

The boy was shaking his head, pointing to Steve and Tony instead of a nearby enemy.

“Then what is it you need? We're chasing down bad guys.”

The kids’ eyes went wide, and Tony would almost have been amused if the expression weren’t one full of remorse. “Oh no! I didn’t mean to stop you from saving people! I just wanted to tell you: Avengers Forever!”

Cap’s brow furrowed in confusion. Tony leaned in. “The sticker,” he reminded, the Iron Man voice distorting the simple words. “That’s what it says.”

“Oh.” Steve pressed his lips together, in what appeared to be a battle between indulging the boy and hating the sticker. But this was Captain America. Steve Rogers. Tony never really doubted where Steve would fall. “Well, in that case, Avengers Forever!”

After the battle, after the celebration the town insisted on throwing, the Avengers lingered in the center of the town square. “So, which one of you did it?”

Tony laughed, inordinately pleased by Steve's devious behavior. “Did you intentionally wait until we were all slightly intoxicated?”

“Evil, Captain,” Natasha chastised over the rim of her drink. “What do you say, boys? Should we tell him?”

Clint was sipping what seemed to be his tenth beer. He raised it to Steve, opening his mouth as if he was about to say something, before taking another sip instead. After a loud swallow, he said, “Nah. I think we should take this one to the grave guys.”

Steve seemed to realize he was outnumbered, because he had ended up shaking his head and chuckling instead of pressing them on it. “Where did whoever even get this from?”

“Oh that’s easy,” Tony began.

“We receive things like that daily,” Natasha continued.

Clint nodded. “Stickers, plushies... _candy!_ ”

“Oh.” The annoyance fled from Steve’s face at this information, replaced by a mix of genuine disbelief and modesty. A lovely Cap expression. “Well, no one told me it was from a fan.”

 

[ ](https://imgur.com/afVIRTj)

  
_Steve_

 

“I don’t know why you’re surprised I want to leave it on.” Steve looked out over the edge of the common floor balcony, at all the people bustling home on the New York City street below. If he closed his eyes, he could hear the sound of the commute like he was standing on the sidewalk. “It was given to me by a fan, someone who believes in us. I’m proud of it. Plus, you saw that kid in town. It boosts morale.”

Tony crossed his arms, and Steve tried to read his expression, unable to tell if he liked the stickers or disliked them. Earlier, at the school, Steve thought that maybe he’d been in on the prank or at least knew about it. But now, with this one, Tony seemed... distant.

“Do you have a problem with it?” Steve turned to look at Tone, assessing. The man always did like his designs sleek and shiny, and while the shield was _Steve’s_ , Tony had handled it enough, worked enough tech and force and heart into it, that Steve could see him wincing at the adhesive and neon breaking across its surface.

“Me?” Tony pointed to himself, jaw dropping dramatically. “Not in the slightest. Why would I? Avengers 4eva!” He threw Steve a peace sign and then wandered to the corner of the balcony to look at the view from that end. “It’s harmless. And when...whoever put it on, put it on, it was for a completely benevolent reason.”

Steve suspected he was correct in his assessment. But he kept that to himself. Instead he asked another question that he’d been curious about. “You know who put it on?”

Tony smirked for the first time since they started talking about the new sticker. “Yeah.” It was like he enjoyed having a piece of knowledge Steve wanted, had his interest in such a playful way. It caused warmth to rush through Steve, and smirk back at Tony.

“It was Clint again wasn’t it?”

“Nope.”

“And it wasn’t you?”

Tony shook his head.

“Then Nat?” Steve heard the surprise in his own voice, because Nat never partook in their pranks.

“Ding! Ding! She did it super sneaky spy-ly, without anyone catching her, but when I unpacked the gear, I saw it. I was immediately curious who did it. I knew it wasn’t me, and it didn’t seem to be Brucie’s cuppa, all it took was a little conference with Clint, and we were able to confirm that you were walking through the battlefield with the evidence that Natasha did prank people all over your shield.”

“When we split off to take down their second wave of attackers in the alley, she told me about the fan that had given it to her in the lobby of the tower, and how she figured why-not and put it on the shield. She said it was easy. You should probably keep that more secure.”

He couldn’t believe Nat did something so ridiculous, but then, as soon as he thought of it, her smirk flashed in his mind, and he probably shouldn’t have been so surprised. Who knew what other mysterious pranks really belonged to Natasha? Tony’s words cut through his musings and made him snort. “In the already incredibly secure tower?”

“Touché, Captain. Tell me again how awesome my tower is.”

Steve rolled his eyes, and he wanted to know, so he took a deep breath and asked. “So,” Steve said, hesitantly, after a moment. “What do you think about it?”

Steve learned everything he needed know from Tony’s shrug.

“You don’t like it?” Steve wasn't sure why it mattered so much. “I’ll take it off eventually, I’m sure after another battle it'll begin to peel off on its own.”

Tony curled his arms around the railing of the balcony instead of focusing on Steve. “If you say so.”

His pout and sullen attitude about something as silly as stickers, made Steve smirk. “It’s like you think I don’t know you, Tony.” He stepped closer, some desire building inside Steve to make Tony see that the whole sticker thing was more fun and games, than anything else. To make Tony smile again.

He wanted to intentionally distract the man and then was delighted when it worked. Tony straightened up, looked away then right back at Steve like he was uncertain but interested, very interested, in what Steve had to say. “But I know you love my shield. You think of it as something you made... something you gave to Captain America. To make me stronger, better. I bet seeing something as silly as a sticker all over your design is enough to make your mustache twitch with annoyance. Am I right?”

“My father made that shield.” Tony swallowed. “I just...improved it. I barely care about it at all.”

“Tony,” Steve stepped closer so that he could whisper into the man’s ear. “It’s not like you to be modest, or conceal the pride you have for your engineering. The shield I use now is eons beyonds the one Howard made. It’s a work of art. Your work of art.” When he stepped back he could see the effect his words had on Tony, and it made Steve feel giddy, knowing he had thrown the man’s sullenness away with a string of truthful compliments. Tony looked stunned, and, riding the high from it still, Steve couldn’t help but add a comforting few words for the man, “Don’t worry, the shield is a beauty. I doubt we’ll be covering it with stickers for much longer. It won’t become a habit.”

Of course, it eventually became much more than a simple habit.

~~~

_Tony_

  
“The news is calling it the worst targeted LGBTQ hate crime since Pulse.” Bruce was angry, so angry, that the tips of his fingers were turning green. Clint, who was standing the nearest to him, reached out to grab his shoulder. Tony wasn’t surprised that when Bruce took a deep, calming, breath, the exhale came out jagged and frustrated. The green receded, but they all kept an eye on him. And Bruce knew when to walk out of a room. “Why weren’t we there?”

“By the time we’d heard about it, the bomb had already detonated.”

“That’s surprising,” Tony chimed in, feeling just as angry as Bruce that the Avengers weren't where they were needed most. 

“Is it?” Fury swung his attention towards Tony. “Nobody has eyes everywhere.”

“We have to do something,” Steve said, his first words since they’d started their meeting. “We can start by visiting the wounded.”

“Rogers--”

The glare Steve pinned Fury with stopped the man mid-sentence. “Then, we can attend the memorial.”

“The media will--”

“It’d probably be best if you don’t finish that sentence,” Natasha cut in, gesturing towards Bruce then focusing on Steve. “I agree with Cap. I want to go and there’s nothing holding us back.”

“I was never against you going--”

“Good.” Tony crossed his arms over his chest.

“If you guys would let me finish! I have no problem with you going down there, I’m only reminding you of the consequences.”

“We’ll leave tonight,” Steve said, like there was no reason to even discuss consequences, and Tony was in agreement. Steve caught his eye and nodded, like he’d been expecting Tony to have his back, and the certainty made him warm inside, made him want to sit up a bit straighter because he knew Steve was watching.

“I’ll go have JARVIS arrange the details.”

They all left SHIELD together, which was unusual. Usually Clint and Natasha hit the range to reclaim all their shooting records. Tony would sometimes linger in Research and Development, but today there seemed to be a need to appear one as a team, especially in front of Fury.

They started getting ready to head to the city where the attack occurred, as soon as they returned to the tower. When Tony wandered into the common room, Steve was already there. A backpack, a garment bag, and one familiarly round case waiting by his feet. Tony left his own bags by the elevator and made his way to the common room kitchen as he greeted Steve.

“The others should be down soon,” Tony said. “Do you want me to pour you a to-go coffee too?”

“I’m okay,” Steve replied. “But maybe grab me one of those bananas.”

“Aye, aye, Cap.”

The elevator chimed, and Bruce came out, a bag on his shoulder and something in his hand. Tony sipped his coffee as Bruce called Steve over. It was easy enough to hear their words.

“You don’t have to, but I thought since--”

“No, no,” Steve interrupted “I really like it. It’s important to me. Nevermind that I’ve had worse ones on it.”

Even hearing their words, it was hard to know what they were talking about. Bruce handed over the paper in his hand, and Steve put it in a zipper on the front of the shield case. “Thanks.”

[ ](https://imgur.com/lZZL5Zk)

 

_Steve_

 

The day hung heavy over them all. They had started it at the memorial, allowing the funeral services to be free of the fanfare that generally followed the Avengers. It was being held on campus, on a beautiful spring day, and all Steve could think was, what was the point of their team if they couldn’t protect places like this?

He knew there was nothing they could do, now that the harm had been done. But they could shine light on the injustice, offer their respects, and when they found out the injured students were fans of the Avengers, they decided to go to the hospital.

Someone had arranged a press conference. Steve didn’t know if it was SHIELD people or SI people who set it up but it was the last thing he wanted to do.

There was a conference room right off the lobby, and they could’ve kept walking, could’ve left without even giving them the time of day. Nat was the first one to catch his eye. Steve looked towards Tony, who shrugged in the Iron Man armor. They wanted to give the students as much as they could. They were here for them, not for the press.

The conference room door was open, and he could see the necks craning to see them, the cameras already flashing. They were here for the victims and the survivors and people everywhere that were just trying to go about their day, enjoy their lives, educate themselves, dance with their loved ones. The woman at the end of the last aisle had a notepad in her hand and a pen in the other.

They were here for the cause, and Steve had something he needed to say. He looked at his team, took in their expressions of determination. They were here for the cause too. He turned to Bruce and gave him a small smile before reaching into a hidden pocket along the bicep of his uniform and pulled out the sticker. “Do me the honors?”

Bruce accepted it with ease, letting Steve turn away from the cameras as he applied it to the shield. “You’re good to go, Cap.” Bruce said after a moment. “We all are.”

He walked forward with his team, and it was only a few more steps before the cameras started going off. They walked down the aisle until they came to the table. When they came to stand behind it, the room was on its feet trying to get a shot of his shield. He would normally keep it on his back, but not today. Today he took it off, and held it out, so everyone could see. Steve felt a strong sense of right, because the press should know, it shouldn’t even be a question, that this is what was right. This was what the whole team knew to be right.

They didn’t sit at the table, they all crowded behind the podium that stood in the center of it, instead. It was obvious that the first question was going to be for Steve; it was going to be about the sticker, and his team was going to have his back as he answered it. He stood behind the microphone in anticipation.

Someone had queued them, a woman was already waiting to start. Steve had no idea what news agency she was affiliated with, but she was beaming, so Steve felt the tension lessen in his gut. “Captain America, do you mind explaining your newest sticker?”

“Newest?" Steve felt a bit of his embarrassment show on his face, because he really hadn’t intended for this to be a trend but here they were. “Hawkeye, I can’t believe your prank became a trend.”

“Sorry, Cap.” Hawkeye clipped in reply, not sounding sorry at all. The press chuckled, as if on cue.

“This one is something apart from all the others.” Steve’s tone turned serious, and with it, the room quieted, the countless microphones were pushed just another few centimeters closer to him. “Love is love. Love happens between people, not genders, and that is something we all believe. We are here today because one angry, despicable individual felt differently. And we are here today to say no more.” Steve turned back to the woman who had asked the question.

“No more violence, no more discrimination, no more legislation designed to create division and instill fear. We are a group of individuals who save the world, but we are also people, people who love, and it is up to those of us with a voice to speak up for those who have been silenced. We are here for Emily and Dylan and John,” Steve continued listing each victim’s name then continued by addressing their partners and their children and parents. Anyone who had loved them, the Avengers were on their side.

“We have to go now. There are heroes that we need to see.” Steve knew the line was on the corny side, but it was no exaggeration to him. Anyone who had the courage to be who they were, express their truest selves to the world - Steve respected that, and he imagined his team did as well.

They took another question, and luckily Tony scooted his way in front of the microphone. Steve watched him dazzle the press, work them into only focusing on what the Avengers wanted to discuss, which was the cause.

A pit of guilt gnawed in the center of his stomach because Steve had secrets of his own, ones that weren’t so secret but were very relevant.

But it wasn’t time for that. To make this day about him, he had no interest in that. Not one bit. That didn’t make the pit fade away though.

Natasha led them out of the room the way they had come in, the cameras erupting as soon as Steve’s shield passed them by. It was what they had come here to do, and now there would be no question what Captain America knew was right.

And when he walked into the hospital and watched as their presence transformed the faces of the injured, to see them lighten, just because they were able to pull the quiver of Hawkeye’s bow, or attempt to lift the hammer, or carry the shield - anything and everything they could do for these students. All they had wanted was to come together and meet like-minded students. So many things had advanced since the 1940s, but there was still so far they had to go. The Avengers had to do what they could to help, and when they left the hospital that evening, Steve felt like he had.

~~~

 

_Tony_

 

There was a snowball effect after the ‘Love is Love’ sticker. They hadn’t expected it. First was the time at the parade. It was to recognize the anniversary of the Battle of New York, and Tony was already antsy before they even left the tower.

At least they were all in uniform. He always felt more comfortable in crowds when he was in the Iron Man armor, and he was sure that his team felt the same. In uniform meant in control, and the crowds absolutely loved it.

They weren’t riding a float this year. A part of Tony was grateful, because waving his arm for that long was tedious even in the suit, but it meant that they had to stay on the main stage the whole time.

Hardly any time had passed, but the Battle of New York had already become an excuse for revelers to get drunk and cheer for beads. Humanity at its finest.

He let his helmet fall open, and the crowd near the stage cheered loudly. Steve turned to face him, probably to see the cause of the cheers and when their eyes met, Steve smiled at him. Steve always smiled at him. Tony had stayed up late one night to try and figure out when that started, but he couldn’t remember. Tony smiled back.

It was shortly after that, that it happened. A man, a teen really, over-excited and able to slip past the stage guard. He looked victorious, a bright grin bouncing the sun off his braces, and Tony watched it happen in slow motion. Clint, who was nearest to the kid, reached out to block him from getting any further on the stage. The kid had no path but his arms were long, and Steve was close, and he was able to smash the I <3 NY sticker right on to the side of the shield.

The crowd went wild.

Thor cheered too, until Nat hissed at him to stop, her eyes focused on Steve.

It was like the whole world was waiting to see his reaction. The guard hustled the kid off the stage, but other than that, there was silence as Steve grabbed the shield from his back, brought it around so he (and the crowd) could see.

His half-smirk made Tony smirk too, every time, and now was no different. He started to laugh a bit as he showed the shield to the rest of the team. They all nodded in acknowledgement and then he turned back to the crowd holding it up for them to all see. The mic was nearby, and he leaned into it. “Well,” his voice echoed out over the crowd, a hushed anticipation that Tony felt tingling at the base of his spine, “It’s not wrong! I do love New York.”

The crowd went crazy, a group upfront started chanting “New York! New York!” and it caught on like wildfire.

Steve’s cheeks were flushed, and he looked so happy that Tony almost wanted to bring back the teen and shake his hand for putting that expression on his Captain’s face. Instead he just grinned back when Steve turned to him, like he had any choice in the matter.

It almost became open season to put whatever you wanted on Steve’s shield after that.

They had to go to another fundraiser. This one was to raise funds for war veterans, and they’d asked Steve to bring the shield, even if it was a classy affair.

Tony should’ve known then that something was suspicious, but Steve seemed unbothered by it, so Tony kept his mouth shut.

This time, they were in suits, and Natasha looked stunning in a gold and green ball gown. “It’s nearby, right?” she asked as she applied her lipstick.

“A few blocks,” Tony answered, slipping on his own coat and waving goodbye to JARVIS. “I arranged a car.”

“Of course you did,” Steve teased, and Tony let himself tease Steve back instead of raising his hackles.

He pushed at Steve’s shoulder as they walked into the elevator. “You’re welcome to walk, Cap.”

“I think I’ll take the offer.”

“How good of you.” Tony couldn’t keep his face straight.

The car was waiting outside, as promised, and it was just a few steps to it, but it was enough. They were caught unawares, and there wasn’t even a threat, not really. In front of their building was an overzealous fan, a woman in her late fifties who looked so, so excited to get a sticker onto Captain America’s shield.

Steve had his megawatt smile on, even despite the total invasion of privacy. The others slipped in the car, and Tony caught Clint rolling his eyes, mumbling to Natasha about just one prank, but Tony stayed and watched as Steve looked at the “I Brake for Freedom” sticker, then back to the lady. Steve stretched his hand out towards the woman, “Well isn’t this a...neat sticker? I’m Steve Rogers, and you are?”

The woman went positively red. “I’m, oh wow, you are way more charming in person than I expected. Wow, I’m Sarah. Sarah Harpman.” Over Steve’s shoulder, she caught Tony’s eye. “Is he always like this? Oh wow, and it’s you too. Tony Stark. Thank you so much for every--”

“Yes,” Tony interrupted, looking at Steve. “He is always that charming. Have a nice day.” Then he slid into the car. After a moment Steve followed, sitting pressed up against him as they waited for the driver to walk around to the driver seat after closing the door.

Steve bumped Tony’s shoulder. Tony bumped his back. “So.” Steve leaned in close. “Charming?”

Tony wished he was in his Iron Man suit right about now because he could definitely use a helmet to hide in.

  
_Steve_

 

Things with Tony were changing. At least, on his end they were.

The stickers had started out as a joke, one he’d thought would go away, but here he was, peeling yet another one off the vibranium.

He’d started a sticker book. True, he didn’t know that’s what he was starting when he peeled the first ‘Kick Me’ sticker off the shield and put it onto a piece of paper, but after he did that to the next four, stacking them all together had made a sticker book.

Tony had seen it, the book, but instead of scowling, he’d been amused. He’d teased Steve but Steve also watched as he flipped the pages with an interest that didn’t seem feigned.

It was good that Tony was coming around, because sticker fad was not waning. Every time the shield was in public, off the battlefield but still on display, Steve came home with a new decoration on his shield. Steve had considered leaving the shield at home, but being unprepared, even if they were just doing publicity, left Steve uncomfortable.

So, he was wearing it that afternoon, giving a beachside restoration speech. They’d saved as much of the marina life they could, even as Tony and a SHIELD submarine worked on the ocean floor to seal the rig off permanently.

The sun beat overhead, and there were plenty of people visiting the newly restored beach for recreation, as well as for the ceremony. The back of their stage was near a beach volleyball net and, well, Steve considered himself a decent fellow. But when beautiful people were scantily clad nearby, even his attention wavered. The rest of the team was less tactful than Steve. Clint was all-out staring during their sound check.

A young woman, clad in only a bikini and an eager smile ran up to the stage and looked so very excited to be sneaking up on the Avengers’ stage. Little did she know, everyone had their eyes on her. Well, all except Tony, who was facing towards the audience and not crowded to the side and able to check all the peripheries. They had his back, and he knew it.

They could all see the sticker too. Steve couldn’t tell what the shape was but it was in her hand, and he had watched her run to her beach bag from the beach volleyball court, look for it hurriedly and clutch it too her chest after she found it. He wanted to make it easy for her, because it looked so important to her.

He walked back to the edge of the stage, gaining the attention of some of the crowd Tony was speaking to. Tony’s eye caught them, and he zoomed in towards where Steve had his shield over the back edge of the stage, letting the young woman put the sticker on his shield.

When she finished, Steve shook her hand and, he knew it was coming from the moment she took a deep breath, but he still didn’t back away when she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. The corner of her lips brushed the corner of his own. Color flushed his cheeks and hers as well, she made some more babbling praises before her friend pulled her away.

Steve’s eyes went straight to Tony, and he didn’t know why, couldn’t quite put his finger on why his breath caught at the narrowed brown eyes, why his pulse raced at Tony’s small frown. And then he was back looking at the audience like nothing had happened.

But something had. The others sensed it too, he saw Clint giddily skip behind the speakers to get to the other side where Nat stood, then proceeded to whisper in her ear and practically stare holes into Steve and Tony.

Clint liked to be a gossip, it was one of his more surprising - and presently, annoying - characteristics.

When the speech ended, they couldn’t leave. It was time to mingle and greet the people affected by the tragedy and the heroes of the cleanup operation. Steve usually regarded these events as important, if not a little repetitive. This one was different. As soon as he got into the party, they were on him about the sticker and the fan and it was too much, too sudden. The press tended to do that, but it was usually focused on the intrigues of more interesting Avengers.

 _Note to self,_ Steve. _Stay away from scantily clad beautiful people or the press will have a field day._

The entire time, he felt Tony’s eye on him, as if he was trying to figure Steve out. It was unsettling, and it made him retreat, first to the balcony and when he found that occupied, the bathroom.

Of course, that was when he ran right into Tony.

“A heart, huh?” he said the words as soon as he did the double take out of the bathroom stall. Right into the shield. “I had seen her put it on it, but not what it was. And then while we were walking I couldn’t get a good-- Well, you know, it’s cute. Up close. And she was pretty, so that’s fun. Yay for beach events?”

Tony was rambling. Steve knew it, and the clench of Tony’s fist meant that Tony knew he knew it.

“Was she pretty?” Steve asked, licking his suddenly dry lips as he started to wash his hands. He’d come in the bathroom to get away from Tony only to find him right here in the center of his piercing stare. But now that he was here, it didn’t seem so hard to see that the man was affected by this sticker, and this sticker in particular. “She seemed really invested in getting the thing on the shield.” Steve shrugged. “I didn’t really see it till later.” Steve leaned close because he wanted to get close to Tony, and it was a perfectly good reason to: he was about to say something not entirely polite about one of their fans. “Truth be told, it’s not my favorite.”

“Which is your favorite?” Tony asked with such a sudden curiosity that Steve was momentarily surprised.

He also didn’t have an answer. “There’ve been some good ones, and some important ones. But… I’m not sure if I’ve found my favorite yet.” It’s not something he’d really thought much about, and he told Tony that, and Tony chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“I just keep thinking, how did we get here?”

“I blame Clint.”

“Oh, absolutely.”

[ ](https://imgur.com/r1ClTLz)

~~~

_Tony_

  
It had become somewhat charming, even Tony could admit it. There were toys that kids could now buy with stickers for Cap’s shield. Avengers fans could make matching stickers, small ones for their action figures, and large ones to put on a shield of their own, too. Tony had bought a few and sent them to Katie’s school as soon they left the manufacturing line. Tony might also have bought the company.

Steve had never really seemed reluctant about the stickers, which surprised Tony. The shield was a symbol of dignity, of America, and to put something on it could be seen as akin to desecrating a flag… At first Tony had seen the stickers as a defilement of his engineering. But later he’d come to see what Steve had probably seen all along: the stickers were a way to talk to America, to communicate with them about the events of the day.

It had bothered Tony at first, once it had started becoming a regular thing. The shield was a work of art, not a bumper for someone to place a sticker on. But it wasn’t his, not really, not in any way that led him to make decisions about it outside of engineering and polishing techniques.

They were just cutting through the mall-- which occupied the block between the Avengers Tower and the place they had taken down a stray alien guest-- and it was meant to be nothing more than a shortcut as they made their way home. Along the walkway were kiosks, everything from cell phone case covers to makeup.

Steve saw the sticker stand first. Tony was very surprised when he made a beeline for it, not even checking if the others were following. School was out for the summer, and the mall was more packed than usual; they had to wait for a family and a group of teens to walk past before the rest of the team could follow Steve on his newfound mission.

He was standing in front of a red, white, and blue, sparkly one that read, "Happy Fourth of July!" in bold lettering. It was a little too on the nose for Tony, but Steve absolutely lit up at it. “What do you think?” He turned his beaming white smile at Tony. “Do you think for that event we’re doing on the Fourth? It’s a little cheesy right?”

“It’s very cheesy,” Clint answered instead of Tony, though it was pretty spot-on to what Tony would’ve answered, so it was probably better that Clint had interrupted.

“It’s a nice decoration for the holiday,” Bruce offered.

“The whole sticker thing is ridiculous,” had been Natasha’s answer since the beginning.

Tony caught it right as Steve’s smile started to falter, the light in his eyes dimming. He bit his lip for a second before speaking. “I had just thought…”

Tony wasn’t sold on Team Sticker, but he really did not like the way the light in Steve’s eyes had extinguished so suddenly, looking at the Fourth of July sticker like it was a puppy he couldn’t take home. Tony wanted very much to bring his earlier excitement back. “It’s great!” Tony heard his own words before he had even known he said them. “I love it.”

“Yeah?” Steve's face brightened, just like a firework coloring the sky. “Maybe right in the middle, I was thinking. Since it looks like it’s the same size as the star.”

“Looks like,” Tony agreed, and it was so simple, how happy Steve became at his words, and Tony wondered, had been wondering, if maybe Steve liked to hear Tony compliment him and tease him. Tony remembered how Steve had felt in his arms at the school when they’d bumped into each other, how his lips felt against Tony’s neck.

Tony shook his head and focused instead on the stammering kiosk cashier who was more than happy to sell Captain America his birthday sticker. “Can I…?” the teen trailed off, holding up his phone.

“Selfie?” Steve asked with his ever gracious fan-smile.

“If you don’t mind.”

Tony found himself volunteering to take the photo, and when his eyes met with Steve’s the man’s expression turned to one of fond exasperation. Tony said, “Cheese!” and the fan-smile slipped back on in time for the photo. The others teased him relentlessly as they walked back to the tower, but Tony was more focused on Steve’s satisfied stride and the fact that he actually winked at Tony, when Clint informed them all that Steve was ridiculous.

He remembered Steve’s words from the balcony, how he wondered if Tony disliked the stickers, and here the rest of the team was, making fun of him. It made him want to raise his hackles. A happy Steve was a beautiful ball of sunshine, and even if the taunting was affectionate it didn’t mean Steve didn’t need, or want, someone on his side. “I don’t see the rest of you taking initiative improving your uniforms. You just drop them off in my lab at the end of the day.”

“And I’m sure the sticker will help balance the shield, right?” Clint volleyed back, and they all laughed as they exited the mall.

“Sounds scientific,” Tony agreed as the doors shut behind them.

[ ](https://imgur.com/vJSTeow)

  
_Steve_

 

The shift in Tony’s attitude hadn’t escaped Steve. Tony had forwarded all the Avengers the photos of the schoolkids with the Captain America sticker toy. Katie’s face was absolutely covered in stickers, and Richie had his back to the camera so that you could see his huge “Kick Me” sticker.

The magazines that featured the stickers suddenly appeared on coffee tables and the caddy in the bathroom that someone had recently purchased. Steve refused to consider that the two were related.

It was because of these recent events that Steve wasn’t surprised to find Tony going through fanmail and putting aside the ones with stickers. He grinned when he noticed Steve. “More candidates for you to choose from. What do you think?”

“All the Avengers as puppies?” Steve shook his head, laughing. “I guess put it aside in case we ever do an animal welfare fundraiser.”

“You have one next week, Captain,” JARVIS helpfully informed.

“There ya go, Cap. JARVIS with the birthday assist.”

Steve felt his cheeks flush because Tony was really fixating on his birthday, like no one ever had before. He’d started the day with a small gift followed by taking the whole gang for pancakes. Now they were getting ready for the event, sorting stickers.

“How long are we going to be on the boat?” Clint asked them as soon as he entered the room. “I’m not good with boats.”

“It’s just taking us to the National Mall. We’re going to wave from a stage and start the music that accompanies the fireworks. How many times do I have to tell you?”

“Stark the cruise director, right?” Clint smacked his shoulder with a laugh as he walked by Tony to look at the stickers. “Who would’ve thought my little prank would become all this.”

“Not me.” Steve knew none of them had expected it, but even he was surprised how quickly he embraced it.

Before long, Nat and Bruce had joined them and they were gathering their things to leave. “Tony, can you go grab me my shield? I need to put on the sticker.” Steve knew the shield was heavy but that didn’t quite explain the flush on Tony’s cheeks or the way he kept licking his lips, and Steve should really stop looking a his lips. “Just hold it out flat.”

“Couldn’t I put it on the table?” Tony asked, ever the one to poke at things. It made Steve smile.

“Sure. Figured you might want to help as well.”

Now it was no secret what was making Tony blush, Clint even started laughing at him as he gathered his arrows that he’d taken to leaving around the common room. Steve waited as Tony held the shield out for him.

Steve pressed his lips together because he was pretty sure it was the only way to keep from telling Tony how much he liked him in that moment. He was always so interested in the things he was interested in. A light would dance in his eyes, and sometimes he’d bounce on his heels. He wasn’t bouncing now though, holding the shield as still as he could.

Steve peeled the sticker, the glittery "Happy Fourth of July!" one, and carefully placed it in the center of the shield. When he looked up, Tony was closer than he expected, eyes focused on the sticker, smiling.

Tony must’ve felt Steve’s gaze on him because he looked up, smile one hundred percent mischievous. “I bet my father’s rolling in his grave right now, the way his pride and joy has become, essentially, a sticker book.”

Steve barked out a laugh. Across the room the elevator chimed and the rest of the Avengers were already walking inside. “Is that the appeal?”

Tony shook his head, holding out the shield. “Nah, it’s also adorable.”

Steve felt the flush hit his cheeks, he couldn't help it. He made one eyebrow raise in surprise and prayed his voice wouldn’t crack when he gathered all of his legendary courage and replied, “Right back at ya.”

~~~

_Tony_

  
It was a long shot. Tony knew it but also… there had been so many shared glances and soft touches. So many times where Steve chose to share a moment with him, or step into his personal space. Hell, the man had called him adorable. All of it had to mean something, and so he was going to take the leap.

He had just been mindlessly scrolling the internet and, because even his Stark browser curated advertisements based on his interests, he’d been getting a lot of ads for stickers. Especially since, apparently, "Back to School" sales included a lot of stickers. Tony was learning more about stickers than he ever thought he would, and that was what he had been thinking until it caught his eye. He hadn’t even been thinking of Steve, especially not an impromptu gift for him.

But the sticker was more a gift for himself than Steve. Or, if anything, maybe it was a gift for both of them. Tony hoped so.

It was cheesy, but sometimes Cap was cheesy, and sometimes Tony was too. It was also romantic, a gesture, and Tony wanted that for Steve, wanted to answer his blushes and compliments, with an offer of his own.

It was so easy to recall the way his heart had raced as soon as he saw the sticker. He took in its cursive letters. Two small words had Tony sitting up in bed, palms sweating, and he had to grip the laptop tighter. Two small words that could potentially change everything. As soon as he’d seen the sticker he’d known he had to buy it.

_Be Mine?_

He’d realized a lot of things that day.

And now he was here, literally tip-toeing around Steve’s quarters because that’s where the shield was and the insecurities were starting to cloud his enthusiasm, the little niggling doubt that Steve wouldn’t want this, not from him. He especially wouldn’t want Tony putting something semi-permanent on his shield. Even if other people had put stickers on in the past, maybe this would be different, maybe Steve would be angry, or disgusted, or worse, mocking.

Except he could so easily recall the way Steve had leaned in close when Tony was putting on his Fourth of July sticker. The way he had whispered in his ear on the balcony when he was trying to cheer him up. It seemed right, that this was more than just a whim in Tony’s mind.

He remembered when he told Steve that it was Natasha that put that second sticker on, how he had thought that it was Tony or Clint, and he hadn’t seemed mad then. Why would he be mad now?

Unless he didn’t like the message.

But all Tony could do was ask because his heart had raced on that balcony, he sought Steve out in every room he shared with the man, he wanted to close all the spaces between them, starting with his lips. But before he could kiss him he needed to make sure Steve was interested, make sure he even wanted to be Tony’s.

So here he was, facing down the shield while Steve went on his jog.

It was easy to lift the shield onto the table, the memory of the Fourth of July sticker so fresh, and he willed his hands not to shake as he removed the sticker from the paper it came on.

With one deep breath, he pressed it onto the vibranium, heart racing.

[ ](https://imgur.com/iwCxR5l)

 

_Steve_

Steve knew someone had been in his apartment the moment he stepped out of the elevator. Nothing seemed out of place, there was no sign of life still hiding in his hallways, but someone had been there. Steve could see it in the way the blinds by the window had shifted a hair, and it was more than obvious when he walked by the shield.

It was still in its case, but the case was a few centimeters to the right of where Steve had left it. He reached for it, hoisting the case onto his dining room table, looking over his shoulder to see if he was about to walk straight into the trap for a prank.

“Hello?” Like Clint or Tony would give themselves away, even if this was a prank. He started unzipping the shield cover slowly, each bracket of the zipper echoing around the room.

He saw the sticker before he had even made it halfway down the shield, but it wasn’t until he had the whole thing open that he was able to pull it out and read it in full.

_Be Mine?_

At first the words didn’t make sense, but as he read them he started to hear the question in his own mind and with the words the image of Tony formed.

Be Mine.

He knew who he wanted to have as his own, so when the elevator chimed, and Tony walked out with a half-smile on his face and apprehension in his eyes, Steve let out a breath. Joy and hope made his pulse race as Tony let out a little wave.

His breath caught because Tony looked so uncertain, eyes flickering between the shield still gripped in Steve’s fist and his face. For Tony to look so far from usual confident self made something clench in his chest.

“Hi Tony,” Steve could hear the waver in his tone and swallowed against it. “I was just coming you find you.”

“You were?” He stepped away from the elevator, closer to Steve, but he still looked like he might be ready to bolt at any moment.

“Yeah--”

“Whatcha got there?” Tony asked at the same time.

For the first time Steve felt a flicker of doubt. Maybe it wasn’t Tony who left the sticker. He hadn’t liked them at first, and, though Steve thought he had grown past that, that didn’t mean he had to leave one on the shield, leave this one.

Tony’s lip was caught between his teeth, he kept shifting his weight and dropping his hands onto anything he could find to fidget, first the coaster on the end table, then brushing imaginary dust off the sofa. The only reason he had to be this nervous was if he was the one that had given Steve the sticker, if he had as much invested in this exchange as Steve did.

“I think..” Steve swallowed. “That you may know more about it than me?” He wondered if Tony could hear the hope in his voice, and he wanted so badly to cross the space between them, force Tony to meet his gaze.

But then Tony did look up, and it stopped Steve from breathing, let alone moving. Tony’s wide eyes were wet with emotion, like he wasn’t quite in control of whether he was about to tear up or burst with joy.

Steve looked back on at the shield in his hand. _Be Mine?_ Then back to Tony. It was so quiet in the room, neither of them breathing, barely a heartbeat. “If--” The word came out barely a whisper, and Steve had to swallow and start again. “If you’ll have me?”

A moment passed, and then a grin so beautiful spread across Tony’s face, evening out the worry from the corner of his eyes so that all that remained was pure wonder; and then he was moving. Tony practically hopped over the edge of the couch and was in Steve’s personal space before he could lower the shield to the ground. He straightened up to Tony in front of him. “I like the sticker.”

Tony rolled his eyes, and Steve felt a brief shock of offense before Tony was laughing and wrapping his arms around Steve’s shoulders and after that Steve couldn’t really find it in him to care much if Tony found the stickers silly. “That’s why I bought it. Well, that and the fact that its been months and everyone else has put their mark on you.” Tony’s eyes darkened, and he shuffled closer, so that Steve could feel the heat radiating from his hips. There was possession in Tony’s gaze, a want that seemed so foreign, because Steve had considered Tony flirtatious and maybe even a bit interested in Steve, but the heat and desire he saw from Tony was beyond anything he’d prepared for. So Steve did what he did best, he jumped in head first and closed the space between them so that their lips met before either of them could close their eyes.

Tony let out a soft gasp against Steve’s mouth, and he brought his hands up to his waist to steady him. Tony gave in to the embrace, opening up for Steve when he sought for more, tasting Tony for the first time. Steve moaned into his mouth, and Tony pulled back to breathe, both of them panting.

“Wow.” Steve knew the word sounded drenched in awe, but he didn’t care. That was the best kiss of his life. Tony brought his mouth to Steve’s neck, kissing up his jaw, every mark causing a spark to shoot down his spine. When Tony pulled away, Steve let out a little huff of disappointment that made Tony chuckle, and suddenly Steve was the one feeling uncertain. “You really...” Steve gestured towards the shield, where it laid against the back of the couch. “You really want that?”

Tony raised his eyebrow, his tongue coming out to distractingly swipe at his lower lip. “After that kiss you still have doubts?”

“To some, a kiss is just a kiss.”

Tony’s eyes darkened, the corner of his mouth flickered with a frown. His reply came out harsher than Steve was expecting. “Not to me. I don’t do cheesy romantic sticker gestures for everyone that catches my eye, Cap. And let me tell you, the catching you certainly do. But with you there's more than that, because of course there’s more to it than that. You’re so staggeringly kind, but also you can prank Clint better than, well, possibly myself. And I have just kissed people because I wanted to feel them and taste them in that moment and nothing more, but not with you, of course not with you. The fact that you don’t even recognize that--”

Steve used the grip he had on Tony’s waist to pull him forward, into a hug. Tony let out a soft huff against his chest, and Steve breathed in his scent, letting it ground him before moving Tony back so that they could see each other again. “I had recognized that. I was trying to flirt with you. In case you haven’t noticed.” Steve knew his cheeks were blushing based on Tony’s reaction alone. His eyes softened, and he brought a finger up to caress Steve’s cheek.

“I noticed. Hence the sticker. And not just for kissing, I would like to take you out. Tonight. If you’d like?”

Tony’s lips were pressed together like he had more to say but was waiting for the perfect time to say it. Steve knew the face well, had seen it often at Avengers’ meetings. “What else?”

Tony’s gaze flicked to the shield. “You were supposed to say yes, and then I was going to say, well great, I have planned the perfect night but you have to bring your shield.”

“My shield?” It wasn’t really a date accessory. “Why?”

“Prerequisite for entry. The chef of the place absolutely demanded it of me.” Tony was bouncing on his heels, trying to rush Steve into agreement.

“You just want me to take it out tonight and show off your sticker.”

Tony’s reaction was priceless, his eyes widened, jaw dropped, and his faux-surprise was enough for Steve to know he was right. “You didn’t have to arrange special plans. I would’ve brought it if you asked me to.”

“Oh.”

He hefted the shield up and admired the sticker. “Plus, I like this one. I think I finally found my favorite.”

“Yeah?”

“Well yeah, it was the only one that got me _stuck_ with you, too.”

Steve hadn’t expected the reply to make Tony blush and splutter, but he wasn’t going to complain.

 

 

 

 

_A Few Years Later_

 

_Steve_

 

It had taken some time, but eventually the sticker fad had faded. Steve kept the “Be Mine?” one on for awhile and, as a show of support, it seemed their fans thought nothing could beat Tony’s sticker.

But Steve hadn’t forgotten about them. He still had his sticker book on the bookcase in their bedroom, and he found himself opening it often. Once or twice he caught Tony doing the same, and Tony would give him the most lovely, sheepish expression, before showing Steve whichever one he was looking at. The stickers played an important role in their relationship, and Steve knew they both had a soft spot for them.

It was a last minute decision, the only one he'd allow on their important day.

When the day finally arrived, they couldn't see each other until it was time. And Steve was pacing, anxious energy running under his skin. The sticker in front of him, resting on a cushion. Their photographer was a bit over-excited, snapping every angle, more angles than he could ever have thought a sticker could have.

He was alone, his groomsmen already waiting by the officiant. Steve scooped up the sticker and his shield, and as he peeled it off from the paper, he was taken back to the Fourth of July, when Tony helped him put his first sticker on. As he applied it to the shield, he remembered every step and sticker that had brought them here, to their wedding day.  
  
_Tony_

Tony’s _husband_.

They’d been married for all of….twenty seven minutes, and Tony really needed to get his hands on Steve’s tuxedo-clad body. They were mingling, and at some point someone had given Steve his shield. But Tony wasn't paying attention to much other than getting Steve back to their hotel room.

Tony had strongly argued for a morning ceremony and an evening reception, and this was the reason. He needed to consummate this marital bliss already.

The person his _husband_ was talking to was wearing army dress blues, so he must be important, but Tony couldn’t bring himself to care. “We’re looking forward to seeing you at the reception,” Tony cut in. “But we really must be going.”

And Steve’s hand was in his, and Tony led them to the elevator. As soon as the doors closed and the button to the top floor was pressed, Tony was on him.

His _husband_ tasted delicious, like life-binding promises and forever Sunday mornings. Tony tried to push him against the wall, but Steve grunted when he was pushed against his shield instead. It clanged loudly against the elevator wall. Tony was about to spin them so that Steve could push him into the elevator wall, but then the doors opened up into their penthouse hotel suite, and Tony forgot about the elevator makeout session entirely, pulling Steve in again.

“You do remember the vows we just made last forever, right?” Steve teased. “There’s no rush.”

“No rush? Steve. Honey. You’re in a tuxedo, and we just had an hour of foreplay where you told me how awesome I am and how much you love me?”

“You mean our wedding?”

Tony waved away Steve’s reply, diving back in for his _husband’s_ tie, and then when that was loose going for his suit jacket. But his jacket was caught on the harness that held his shield.

Tony started pushing it off and Steve allowed it, even if it sounded like he was about to say something, he still gave in to Tony’s growl and kiss and started to take it off.

The shield finally came off while Tony was lifting his undershirt over his head, so by the time he could see again he was able to tug at Steve’s shirt. They tumbled over each other to get into the bedroom, unbuttoning dress shirts and kicking off shoes. The chatter of cufflinks hit the floor, and then they were naked except for their rings.

Hours later, when they finally had to pull themselves out of bed to go to their wedding reception, Steve tugged at Tony’s hand, leading him to the living room instead of the shower.

“We have to-”

“I know.” Steve kissed his brow, stroked at his hair, like he couldn’t stop touching Tony, and Tony leaned into it all, savored every moment. “But we have to ride off into the sunset.”

Tony paused midstep, unsure if Steve had successfully sexed his brains into scramble because he was pretty sure those words made zero sense. “What?”

The sun was indeed setting, the array of colors shining into their suite. The shield rested against the full length windows, and Steve walked right to it, hoisted it over his bare shoulder. Tony met him by the window, a rush of emotion that he blamed on the day, as he slid under Steve’s arm.

“‘Just Married’, huh?”

Steve’s chaste kiss was his reply. The fading orange sun and purple clouds bringing on the night and the rest of their celebration.

“This really does make the shield a bumper. Think we should hang some wedding cans off of it to jangle as we ride away?”

“Tony?” The single word was drenched in exasperation and affection, and Tony had to lean into it and bat his eyes dramatically.

“Yes, _husband_?”

“I love you.”

[ ](https://imgur.com/m0zS6G2)

  
~~~

  
_One Year Later_

  
“I can’t believe we’re here for this,” Clint hissed as they walked through the large glass doors. All around them photographs and newspapers hung from the walls and a large banner that proudly displayed the Pulitzer Prize Photo Winners and Finalists Gallery.

“It makes perfect sense to me.” Tony slid his arm around Steve’s waist knowing his husband was rolling his eyes. They both looked dashing in their tuxedos, so Steve could roll whatever he’d like.

“I’m surprised you’re so against it, Clint.” Natasha stepped forward and slipped her arm around Clint’s, tugging him into her side. “Since its because of you that we’re here.”

“What?” Tony began, cut off by Steve’s voice.

“Well, now, that’s not entirely true…”

“Good evening, Avengers.” A smiley, semi-nervous, twenty-something in an ill-fitting suit greeted them brightly at the entrance of the gallery. “It’s an honor to have you here.” A flush spread across her cheeks, and she broke her smile with a nervous bite of her lip. “Your photo is my favorite, by far.”

“Yeah, but it won’t win.” Clint crossed his arms across his chest. And the woman dropped her gaze and shrugged because she knew Clint was right. The photo might have been in the middle of a battle, but it contained a bit of...well...Tony told Steve it was called pizzazz but it was more than that. Obviously.

“Maybe not,” the woman replied to Clint as she opened the door. “But it was the only one that made me smile.”

Then they walked in and saw it, featured along the far wall. Some called it a commentary on popular culture, others a testament to one man’s narcissism, others saw a man caught in battle and the contrasting levity the sticker provides. Tony? Tony saw his name and a heart all over Steve’s most prized possession, protecting him and claiming him, for all the world to see.

 

[ ](https://imgur.com/PRamvOZ)

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Come say hi to us at: [ashes0909](http://ashes0909.tumblr.com) and [salable_mystic](http://salablemystic.tumblr.com)


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